Ask anyone in any corner of the world; they will all express that they know about “love and how to love” very well and that there are lots of people that they love. The fact is however, the number of people who know to love in this world are very few.

There is certainly a feeling they assume to be “love.” However in time it becomes obvious that this is not love.

Real love is the name given to that feeling that resists time, weaknesses, hardship and errors, and even more deepens as one encounters many trials.

If the feelings one assumes to be “love” is distant to these traits, then the name of this feeling is simply, “a temporary inclination”, “temporary liking” a “temporary interest” or “an excitement based on personal interests.”

It is very obvious that the traits of such a feeling is not “love.” A person who experiences this feeling simply says, “I love very dearly” but he readily becomes offended in the face of the slightest seemingly unfavorable incident. He again says, “I love dearly”; but in a short while he says he no longer feels any interest. Alternatively he immediately leavesonce heencounters a situation that accords with his interests. He says, “I love very much” but he turns his face once he witnesses the slightest weakness of the one he loves. He says “I am deeply in love” but once he feels his interests are at stake, he is prepared to sacrifice without even thinking for a moment. He says, “I love very dearly” but once he remains away for some time, he forgets in no time. Time also works against this love. Rather than sharing the difficulties in hard times and providing support, one leaves her alone with her trouble and leads his own life.

In fact, people in societies of ignorance are also very well aware that they do not experience real love. The manners cited above are obvious to everyone. Indeed these behaviors have become almost like rules for people of such understanding. Proverbs, idioms or sayings also express this understanding clearly.

A person who experiences real love never has such distorted rationale. One of the most important signs of genuine faith is one’s resoluteness in his love. Nothing that happens in his life, no seemingly unfavorable incident or any change in the manners, attitude or thoughts of the person he loves can ever make any negative impact on this person’s love. Genuine love is resistant against everything. Indeed, even seemingly negative happenings are the factors that strengthen and deepen his love. Forms of bad behavior such as being offended, getting angry, leaving alone a person at his times of difficulty or forgetting him totally have no place in such an understanding of love. That is because “genuine love” is based on the love of Allah. And one can attain this understanding of love only byfaith and the morality of the Qur’an. In one verse of the Qur’an Allah relates that He will grant love to those who have faith and engage in good deeds:

As for those who believe and do right actions, the All-Merciful will bestow His love on them. (Surah Maryam, 96)

Consequently real love is a blessing that Allah bestows only to His servants of faith.

A person whose love is based on love of Allah and faith never displays disloyalty towards the one he loves. His love is also not based on any kinship or race, or based on any interest. Money, status, culture or material values have no importance. For this reason, neither the changing conditions, nor weaknesses, nor any expectation for any personal interest can give any harm to such love. A believer’s profound and ardent loveof Allah and the moral perfection he assumes also laya ground that constantly nourishes, develops and increases the love of people around him.